Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Chaves

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Chaves actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,064 in Chaves, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Chaves $1,064

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,607 in Chaves, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Chaves $1,607

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,150 in Chaves, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Chaves $2,150

Istanbul costs about 43% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Chaves is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$7.99 €7.10

49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$22.32 €19.86

156.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$7.78 €6.92

22.24%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.54 €1.37

185.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.49 €1.33

17.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.57 €0.51

-1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.28 €2.03

106.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.73 €2.43

124.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.02 €0.90

21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.14 €1.01

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.13 €1.01

101.77%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.05 €2.71

-19.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$6.23 €5.54

69.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.53 €5.81

-15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$10.26 €9.12

111.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.14 €1.01

60.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.15 €1.02

99.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.11 €0.98

15.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.10 €0.97

65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.02 €1.80

-67.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.13 €1.01

-44.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.41 €1.26

-9.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.79 €0.70

-29.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$5.97 €5.31

-60.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$4.03 €3.58

222.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.15 €1.02

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.15 €1.02

204.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.87 €0.77

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$27.67 €24.61

135.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.97 €3.53

-66.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.68 €0.61

32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$19.78 €17.60

-44.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.95 €1.73

-26.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$34.1K €30.4K

45.25%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$37.6K €33.4K

14.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.8 ₺4,395

$134 €119

-33.57%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.69 ₺579

$17.81 €15.84

-34.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$31.69 €28.19

-49.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$25.25 €22.46

202.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$5.49 €4.88

313.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$7.14 €6.35

15.69%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$223 €199

354.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,620 €3,220

613.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$71.9 €63.9

-25.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$22.56 €20.07

79.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$63.0 €56.1

58.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$90.2 €80.3

3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$478 €425

104.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$378 €336

65.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$951 €846

108.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$736 €655

55.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$1,870 €1,663

65.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,472 €1,310

21.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,015 €903

19.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1256.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 39.7% $249

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 30.5% $80

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 41.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 13.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 57.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 57.4% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 48.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $478 in Chaves. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $22.00 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $182 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

37,592

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Chaves 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Chaves

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Istanbul vs Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 43% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,596 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 136% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $223 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,525 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chaves. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.